WHEN FORESTS BURN: The Story of Wildfire in America, by Albert Marrin, Knopf Books for Young Readers, March 19, 2024, Hardcover, $24.99 (ages 10 and up)
When Forests Burn: The Story of Wildfire in America, by Albert Marrin, explores the whys and hows behind destructive wildfires in the US.
Wildfires have been part of the American landscape for thousands of years. Forests need fire–it’s as necessary to their well-being as soil and sunlight. But some fires burn out of control, destroying everything and everyone in their path.
In this book, you’ll find out about:
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- how and why wildfires happen
- how different groups, from Native Americans to colonists, from conservationists to modern industrialists, have managed forests and fire
- the biggest wildfires in American history—how they began and dramatic stories of both rescue and tragedy
- what we’re doing today to fight forest fires
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When Forests Burn teaches us about the past—and shows a better way forward in the future. —Synopsis provided by Knopf Books for Young Readers
When Forests Burn is one of those books that is designed for young readers, but that adults will get caught up in, too. In fact, it’s size and cover and overall feel make it the perfect coffee table book.
When Forests Burn is a history book of sorts, with lots of black-and-white illustrations and photographs, which do break up the text to a certain extent. My one complaint is similar to that of lots of history books — the main focus covers up to about 1915 and then one chapter covers everything since then. That one chapter does include some of the recent major fires, but color photos would probably tell the story better than black-and-white.
But my criticism shouldn’t keep you from buying When Forests Burn.
National Book Award Finalist Albert Marrin tackles the often-gruesome topic with clarity. And while the book is full of nonfiction facts about forest fires, including how we must deal with the consequences of past actions, it’s still accessible to the intended audience. When Forests Burn is the type of book likely to be checked out from classroom and school libraries.
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